


One Last Time

by massuneko



Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe, Multi, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-14
Updated: 2017-09-14
Packaged: 2018-12-29 19:03:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12091428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/massuneko/pseuds/massuneko
Summary: There was a ghost in Taekwoon's apartment and he knew about it. What he didn't know was who that ghost actually was.





	One Last Time

**Author's Note:**

> I've been listening to Beautiful Liar again and although it's 2 years late, here's a fic based on that.

His apartment was haunted, Taekwoon knew it since the first day he moved in, but he couldn’t care less about it since he barely lived there anyway. He had it just so that if his friends or family came to visit, he had a place for them to sleep for a night or two. The ghost in his apartment didn’t feel vicious too, only staying there like some sort of a watchdog. Sometimes Taekwoon saw a glimpse of his figure, reflected in the mirror. His hair was all white and his skin was covered with tattoo as far as Taekwoon could see. But a glimpse or two was the only thing Taekwoon had ever experienced. To be fair, he was practically living at another place with his girlfriend, so he could easily miss out any paranormal activity that might happen in his own apartment.

Still, after some time, he began to spend more time in his own apartment. Things were going downhill between him and his girlfriend, and he decided to move out. At times like that, he both regretted and glad that his apartment was haunted. Regretted, because he could feel how _someone_ was watching him when he wanted some time alone. But also glad, because he could feel _someone_ staying with him when he needed a company. Sometimes, when he cried alone in his room, he’d look up to the mirror facing his bed. His ghost would be there, sitting beside him, watching closely through their reflection.

As the time passed, Taekwoon felt how his sanity seemed to be slipping away. He started talking to the mirror, to his unnamed ghost, about the things he couldn’t tell anyone else. The pair of dark eyes reflected in the mirror seemed to pity him, and Taekwoon felt that it’s good enough for him. Sometimes, he’d put up his hand, fingers pressing to the cold surface of the mirror, as if he wanted to cross over so that he could touch the ghost. Sometimes, when Taekwoon put up his hand long enough, he could saw the ghost doing the same, their hands overlapping at the mirror’s reflection. And at those times, Taekwoon swore he could feel a tingling sensation on his hand, and he couldn’t care less if it’s just his imagination.

His relationship with his girlfriend finally collapsed. She came to his apartment to hand him the wedding invitation— _her_ wedding invitation. Taekwoon froze in his place, feeling oddly empty and void of all emotion. In the meantime, he faintly felt a strong dark emotion from the corner of the room. It was probably his ghost. His ghost was angry and Taekwoon couldn’t really figure why.

She handed him the apartment key, the one they shared before. She said something along the line of “You can have it” “I want you to be happy too” and “Goodbye”. Taekwoon reached out to take that key, but a hand appeared out of nowhere and tossed it aside, letting it fell to the floor with loud clanking sound.

Taekwoon’s sight trailed along that hand, and his eyes stopped at the face he recognized too well. It was his ghost, as brokenly beautiful as ever, but more real than before. The ghost looked at him with unconcealed pain, before shifting his sight to her. She could see him too, and she paled. Without saying another word, she scrambled out from the apartment, scared for her life.

The ghost moved forward, as if wanting to follow her, and Taekwoon knew that he didn’t mean well. He reached out, trying to stop him from hurting her. He was surprised when he found that he could touch the ghost somehow, holding him in place. He could hear angry shouts, inhuman growl that slowly turned into coherent words.

“—run while you can, you coward!”

The ghost’s voice was deep and raspy, filled with anger towards her. And for some reasons, that voice sounded familiar in Taekwoon’s ears.

“Stop! Let her go! Don’t hurt her, please. Please, I beg you,” cried Taekwoon. He felt his grip loosened, holding onto nothing but thin air.

“I’m okay, so please spare her. Please,” whispered Taekwoon as he slowly fell to his knees. The ghost seemed to lose his ability to maintain his physical form, but he was still there, floating in front of Taekwoon.

“And? Watch you self-destruct again? Hurting yourself, crying your heart out, repeating the destructive cycle of falling in love and falling out of it?” The ghost’s voice was cracking, if it’s even possible. “Until when are you planning to punish yourself?”

“I’m not—” Taekwoon’s words were caught in his throat as he looked up. The eyes looking down at him were filled with grief, and he felt that he knew those eyes. He knew that look, that pained expression, that tingling sensation at the pit of his stomach when he turned up the news as soon as he reached home on that rainy night.

_“—drunk driving, and because the road is slippery from the heavy rain. There are one injured and one dead in this accident, along with several damages on public facility. The injured victim is identified as Park Yeongjin, the car driver, who is now treated at the nearest hospital. As for the dead victim, identified as Kim Wonshik, is currently—”_

The glass slipped from Taekwoon’s grip, crashing at the floor and spilling water everywhere. The reporter’s voice regressed into buzzing noise in the background as Taekwoon saw Wonshik’s ID photo being shown on the screen.

It felt surreal. It hadn’t been too long since the last time he talked face to face with Wonshik, breaking up with him because he was far too afraid of what people might think about their relationship. Wonshik had been crying. He had always been the type who cries easily. Meanwhile Taekwoon only stared at him with grim expression.

Then, with his usual comforting smile, Wonshik told him that it’s okay. Although he was clearly hurt, he still smiled widely and said that if the breakup made Taekwoon felt better, he wouldn’t mind. Taekwoon wanted to apologize, but words didn’t come out of his mouth. Wonshik requested for one last hug, but Taekwoon still didn’t say anything, didn’t make a move, and he could see bitterness in Wonshik’s eyes. He didn’t stop Wonshik when he left, not even offering him an umbrella since it was raining heavily outside, and only stared at the door when he closed it.

The regret about how his last words to Wonshik was _“Let’s break up”_ ate him inside. He regretted not complying to Wonshik’s last request to hold him. He regretted not stopping Wonshik when he left. He couldn’t believe that Wonshik was gone just like that. He reached for his phone, calling Wonshik’s number. It felt like forever until Taekwoon heard the waiting tone got cut off, and he quickly shouted, “Wonshik?”

The person answering the phone wasn’t him. It was the police. Taekwoon remembered answering that he’s Wonshik’s friend, and how the police conveyed his condolences and where Wonshik’s body was kept of the time being. Taekwoon cut off the call in the middle of the police’s explanation, then sank to the chair in the kitchen. He stared down at the shattered glass on the floor, feeling how his heart shattered too.

But he moved on. He tried to erase the memory regarding Wonshik’s death. It was hard at first, but eventually he managed to do that. He started dating again, one failed relationship after another, one heartbreak after another. At some point, he piled up enough pain to make him forget about Wonshik completely, reducing him to a shadow at the back of his mind.

Reducing him to be a mere _ghost_.

The figure staring down at him had lost the tattoos covering his skin, leaving only a few that Wonshik originally had. His hair turned back to black again, just like the last time Taekwoon saw him when he left their apartment, the one he was currently staying at. Finally everything made sense—why he let himself kept on paying the rent although he barely even stayed there, why he saw Wonshik’s ghost when he returned there after leaving it empty for so long, why Wonshik always stayed like a loyal watchdog, and why Wonshik went violent over the girl Taekwoon hardly had a feeling left for anymore.

“Wonshik…” called Taekwoon softly, barely even a whisper.

“You finally remember,” replied Wonshik, looking somewhat grim and somewhat serene. He reached out, as if wanting to wipe the tears off Taekwoon’s cheeks although it was impossible. Taekwoon inhaled sharply, closing his eyes and pretending that he could feel Wonshik’s touch.

“Are you really—”

“Yes.” Wonshik’s answer was short and sharp, piercing straight to the center of Taekwoon’s heart. He opened his eyes slowly, trying to focus at Wonshik’s figure through his tears.

“Can’t you stay? Just like you did until now?” asked Taekwoon. Wonshik chuckled and shook his head.

“I’m really close to turning into vicious demon from staying too long here. So, no. I don’t want to hurt you,” replied Wonshik, almost too casually. Taekwoon really wanted to turn away from Wonshik, to run somewhere, screaming his heart out and cried until his tears dried up. But he forced himself to stay still, to savor Wonshik’s figure that he would never see again.

“Will you wait for me in the afterworld?” asked Taekwoon, trying to bargain. This time, Wonshik smiled widely and nodded.

“I’ll wait for you at its border, where the Grim Reaper took your soul before you depart to the next world,” replied Wonshik. “I’ve been there once and sort of running away since I still want to watch over you in this world. I can imagine my Grim Reaper will be mad as hell when I return,” he added with a playful giggle.

Taekwoon chuckled and shook his head slowly. “Even as ghost, you’re as rebellious as ever,” he commented. Wonshik grinned widely at that.

“Live well and be happy. Don’t come after me too soon,” said Wonshik. “Promise me that.”

“I will,” replied Taekwoon. He then slowly got back on his feet, standing at the same eye level with Wonshik. “May I kiss you for the last time?” he asked.

“Technically we can’t kiss,” said Wonshik, “But I can pretend.”

“That’s good enough for me,” replied Taekwoon. He watched as Wonshik’s face got closer, and he instinctively closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly, just like how they usually kissed before.

When he opened his eyes, Wonshik was nowhere to be found.


End file.
